Middlesbrough’s title hopes at risk as Coventry City exploit possession flaws | OneFootball

Coventry City's win over Middlesbrough continued an unwanted record for Boro

Coventry City returned to the top of the Championship with a big win over former leaders Middlesbrough on Monday night, and, in the nature of the victory, extended an unwanted record for Kim Hellberg's side.

Boro have been more than impressive this season, especially since Hellberg took over in late November, and with those performances, Middlesbrough have been one of the most feared teams in the division.

Ultimately, that means opponents are happy to sit back and let Hellberg's side play, with the game plan to soak up pressure and hit Boro on the break.

After Coventry went 1-0 up, that was the gameplan. In the second half at the CBS Arena, Boro had 80% of the ball, and the new league leaders made just 50 accurate passes, according to Fotmob.

Yet, Frank Lampard's side outscored their visitors 2-1 after the break, with goals coming from a long ball from Carl Rushworth and a penalty that came 17 seconds following Middlesbrough's deficit-halving goal through Riley McGree.

It was a classic grind-it-out performance from the Sky Blues, and perhaps, with the rest of the league watching, has highlighted one of the few weaknesses in Boro's game.

Middlesbrough often struggle to win in games where they have more than 65% possession

Middlesbrough had 72% possession at the CBS Arena on Monday night's defeat, which, going off FBRef's stats, is their second-highest possession stat this season.

Boro have kept the ball on average more than any other side in the Championship this season, and they have no issues with controlling games. However, when they completely dominate proceedings, they often struggle to break teams down.

The defeat at Coventry was the eighth time that Kim Hellberg's side had kept more than 65% possession in a Championship game this season. Middlesbrough have won just two of those games, have drawn twice, and lost four times, three of the four defeats coming to nil.

Indeed, those defeats account for over half of the seven losses that Boro have suffered in league action this season, so it's a clear problem.

As a team, Boro are very middle of the road when it comes to creating opportunities and breaking teams down. Across the entire season, they rank in mid-table for big chances created and expected goals. However, this is magnified when they come up against sides who soak up pressure and look to neutralise their threats.

They created one big chance in the defeat on Monday night, and in other defeats, where they've had over 65% of the ball, they created none in the 1-0 loss to Hull City and just two in the 2-0 defeat against Bristol City. Granted, the other loss saw them create five in a 1-0 loss to Derby County, but even then, it reflects a poor attacking performance.

Kim Hellberg's side plays some incredibly attractive, easy-on-the-eye football, but they thrive more when the game is open, and the likes of Morgan Whittaker can get on the ball, move with pace and create opportunities.

When it comes to having to break down stubborn sides, they struggle at times, and, as we head further into crunch time, Boro are going to have to find a solution fast to help maintain their impressive form atop the table, as sides will have watched how Coventry approached the game and look to replicate that in meetings against the Riverside outfit.

Middlesbrough will have their resolve tested in the coming week with two big clashes against relegation-threatened opposition

If Middlesbrough are going to show that they're a side you can't just sit back and absorb pressure against, then they have a couple of opportunities to do so in the coming week, with two home games against Oxford United and Leicester City.

Both the Yellows and the Foxes currently occupy places in the relegation zone, and come into the meetings with Boro as clear underdogs.

Oxford already average the lowest possession in the Championship, and while Leicester's average is a lot higher, if Gary Rowett is in the dugout come next Tuesday, as is reported, then Boro could be coming up against a more robust approach than initially anticipated.

Additionally, both picked up points against Middlesbrough earlier this season, allowing the promotion hopefuls 63% and 70% of the ball against them, respectively, so they may look to set up similarly. Boro need to ensure that they're up to the task.

They currently still have a healthy lead on third place, but poor results in the next two games at the Riverside could make for a nervy run-in, especially if they follow a similar blueprint to how they fell at Coventry on Monday night.